On Manchu Dress Before 1644

The dress in the Qing Dynasty is considered as a symbolic process in the history of dress development in China for its nationalism and unique style. The Qing Dress forms on the basis of Manchu's traditional dress and the dress of the other minority ethnic groups. For that reason, the study of Qing dress (especially the dress system) has to follow the development of the Manchu Dress. It is clear that to show the development of Manchu dress before their exercising control inside the Great Wall is to seek the origins of dress changes since Qing dynasty.